Refrigerator latch mechanism



May 6, l1958 w. o. BURKE 2,833,578

REFRIGERATOR LATCH MECHANISM Filed Nov. 14, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 1 Unite REFRIGERATOR LATCH l\'IECHANISM William 0. Burke, Rockford, Ill., assignor to j. National Lock Co., Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application November 14, 1956, Serial No. 622,035

Claims. (Cl.'29271)` vision of a novel latch assembly for` the door of a refrigerator cabinet and in which the llatch bolt operates without the aid of a movable handle or other manually-operated mechanism.

A further object of the present invention isthe provision of'a novel latch mechanism for electively latching and retaining closed andsealed the door of a refrigerator cabinet but permitting this door tou' be Vreadily States Patent opened from the exterior or interior without the use or aid of a handle or otherV operating means. A

The present invention further comprehends the provision of a novel latch mechanismon'the interior 'of a door or closure for a refrigerator cabinet, including a pivotally mounted latch bolt tripped into'and out Iof latching engagement with a stationary keeper by mere'movement yof the door. y i

By this novel construction and assembly, there is eliminated the use of or necessity for an actuating handle or other manually-operating means `required for releasing prior types of latch bolts from latching engagement with the keeper, and in which novel assembly the door may be readily moved to closed or open position. To accomplish this the present invention includes a novel latch bolt andV mechanism whereby the latch bolt is tripped and moved into or out of its latching engagement.l

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, etlciency, economy and ease fof assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawings: y

Figure l is a view in horizontal cross'section through the edge of a door and a refrigerator cabinet equipped with the present novel latch `assembly and showing the position of the component parts when the door is 4closed and latched, one side of the mounting bracket or housing for the latch mechanism having been broken away to disclose the details of the latch mechanism. y

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing thedoor partially open with the latch Abolt in open, cocked posi-l tion and the associated parts in the position-they occupy when the door is being moved to closed position.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 *but with the door partially open and with the latch mechanism in an intermediate position which it occupieswhen the latch bolt is accidentally tripped from its normal cocked position with the door opened, and showing the manner in which the latch bolt is tripped to latching position as the door is being moved to closed position.`

Fig. 4 is ya View in vertical cross section through the keeper or strike and its roller, the view vbeing taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3 ,and viewed in the direction of the arrows. l

' bolt.

llintentedv May 6, 1958 Fig. 5 is a view in rear elevation of the latch assembly.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the novel latch bolt.

Fig. 7 is a view in horizontal cross section through the latch bolt taken on the line 7--7 of Fig. 6 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the disclosure in the drawings and more particularly to the details of construction of the illustrative embodiment therein shown, the novel latch assembly is disclosed as mounted on the interior of a door .or closure 1lb of a refrigerator cabinet or the like 11 for latching and retaining the `door closed, but permitting it to be opened without the use of an actuating or movable handle. While a handle 12 is shown on the exterior of the door, it is secured or rigidly affixed thereto and embodies no moving parts or actuating plunger as in prior assemblies for releasing or initiating release of the latch To insure sealing contact between -contiguous surfaces, such as the periphery of the door 10 and the periphery of the cabinet 11 about its access opening, there is provided a compressible sealing gasket 13 shown as mounted on the door and having sealing contact with the adjacent face or edge of the cabinet.

The cabinet is provided with a strike or keeper assembly 14 including a roller 15 supported upon a pin 16 having its ends anchored in the spaced arms 17 and 18 of a mounting projecting forwardly from the cabinet wall and `adjustably connected to a supporting bracket 19 by a bolt or screw 21, the bracket being slotted and is laterally adjustable on a supporting plate 22 anchored to the interior of the wall 23 of the cabinet 11 by spaced bolts or screws 21.

The roller 15 of the strike or keeper assembly 14 is adapted to be engaged by a latch bolt 24 of a latch bolt yassembly 25 carried in the door 10. This latch bolt assembly includes a substantially U-shaped bracket or housing 26 having a 'base 27 provided with an anchoring olfset 28 at one end, an intermediate offset 29 and yopenings 31 for the reception of bolts or other securing means for .anchoring the bracket or housing 26 upon a supporting wall 32 in the door.

Pivotally mounted between the spaced sides 33 and 34 of the bracket Vor housing 26 is the latch bolt 24 formed of nylon and provided with a hooked part 35 and a projection or trip 36 between which is formed a relatively ydeep slot 37 to receive and retain the roller 15 when the door 10 is closed. The latch bolt 24 is provided with spaced apertures 3S (Fig. 6) one of which is provided*V adjacent one end for the reception of a pin 39 projected through an offset end 41 of a pair of abutting links 42 providing a spring retainer 43 connected by the pin 39 to the latch bolt 24. j

The spring retainer 43 is provided at its other end with `a longitudinally extending slot 44 receiving a pin 45 anchored at its ends in the spaced sides 33 and 34 of the bracket or housing 26. A coil or compression spring 46 encompasses the spring retainer 43 with one end of the spring bearing against the pin 45 and its other end against the shoulders 47 formed on the olfset ends 41 of the links 42. l

A substantially U-shaped toggle 48 is pivotally connected adjacent one end to the latch bolt 24 by means of a pin 49 projecting through an aperture 38 in the latch bolt and carried in the spaced inwardly bent sides 51 and 52 of this toggle lever. Intermediate its ends, the toggle 48 is pivotally mounted on a pin 53 having its ends carried in the spaced side walls 33 and 34 of the bracket or housing 26, the pin 53 projecting through the intermediate aperture 38 in the latch bolt 24. At the other y end the toggle lever 4S is provided with a connecting part clockwise direction. To permit pivotal movement of 3 the toggle 48, the base 27 of the bracket 26 is recessed at 5S to receive the projecting portion S6 of the toggle adjacent its pivot pin 49.

Aresilient grommet or bumper 57, preferably of natural or compounded synthetic rubber, is anchored in a raised embossment S8 in the base Y27 of the bracket or housing 26 against which the edge of the` latch bolt 24 abuts` when the latter is moved to open, cocked position (Fig. 2).

With the door closed, the latch bolt 24 `is in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the'iroller 15 disposed in the slot 37 of the latch bolt and the latch bolt tensionally held by the spring-loaded retainer 43 in latched position. In this position, the pin 45` is disposed in the rear en d of the slot 44 of the retainer 43 and the pin 39 connecting the forward end of the spring retainer 43 to the latch bolt 24 is disposed to one side of the line .r-.r passing `through the pin 4S upon which the `spring retainer 43 is pivotally mounted, and the pin 49 pivotally connecting the toggle link 48 `to the latch bolt 24. As

clearly shown in Fig. l, the base 54 of the toggle link 48 abuts or seats against the base 27 of the bracket or housing 26 and the edge 59 of the latch bolt 24 abuts or` seats against the base 54 of the toggle lever 48.

With the door closed and latched as in Fig. 1, pulling on the fixed or stationary handle 12 to open the door causes the latch bolt 24 to pivot about and move longi# tudinally of its pivot pin V3,9 to the open cocked position shown in Fig. 2. In this latter position, the pivot pin 39 is moved to the other side of the line x-x with the projecting edge 61 of the latch bolt 24 engaging or abutting the resilient bumper 57 and against which it is retained until the door 10 is again moved toward closed4 position when the roller engages the adjacent face of the projection or trip 36 on the latch bolt 24 as shown in` Fig. 2. Further movement toward closed position causes the latch bolt 24 to` pivot and move about the pin 49 and swing the pivot pin 39 to the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the roller 15 is disposed in the slot 37 of the latch bolt 24, and the latch bolt is tensionally held in its latched position.

Thus the latchbolt 24 is tensionally held either in its latched position (Fig. 1) when the door is closed, or in its unlatched and cocked position (Fig. 2) when the door is opened. Should this latch bolt Z4 be accidentally tripped when the door is open from its cockedfposition to its normal latched position, Fig. 3 discloses what happens whenthe door is moved toward closed position.

In the event the latch bolt Z4 is accidentally tripped when the door is open, the latch bolt 24 engages the keeper roller 115 in the manner shown in Fig. 3. Instead of the projection or trip 36 contacting the roller 15 as in Fig. 2, the hooked end of the latch bolt 24 first contacts the roller 15 whereupon the latch bolt is rotated and forced rearwardly against the tension of the spring-loaded retainer 43 until the roll-er rides over the hooked end 35. In this movement of the latch bolt, the toggle 48 is pivoted about its pivot pin 53 and as the door continues toward closed position the latch bolt 24 pivots about its pivots 39 and 49 and the pivot 39`passes to the other side of the line x-x as shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the direction of Vforce is momentarily reversed and the latch bolt 24 moves up and over the keeper roller 15.. At such time thetdiretcion of force isagain reversed by the pressure of the keeper roller against the latch bolt 24 and, as the door is closedthe` roller 15 engagesthe projection ortrip 36 of the latch bolt. The latch bolt then rotates in a counterclockwise direction with the roller 15 entering'the slot 37 to the position shown in` Fig. l, whereupon the latch bolt is held tensionallyin latching engagement. I

By this novel` latch assembly, when the door is being is thus reversed and the door 10 is held closed by the energy stored in the compression spring 46.

From the above description and the disclosure in the drawings, it will be apparent that the door may be readily opened without the necessity of any movable handle or other manually-operated actuating mechanism and,

when latched, can be opened by a mere pulling of the' door from the exterior or by a force applied to the interior. Although a handle is shown at the exterior of the door, it is stationary and atiXed to the door and neither moves relative to the door nor has any operating parts.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

l. Refrigerator latch mechanism mounted on a door and adapted to have latching engagement with a keeper on a refrigerator cabinet when the door is closed, con sisting of a supporting housing secured to the door, a latch bolt in said housing, a spring-loaded retainer mounted at closed` the latch bolt 24 engages the roller 15 of the stationary keeper 14 which causes the latch bolt to pivot in` a counterclockwise direction and move the pivot 3,9V y

to one sideof the center line x-x. The direction of force one end in one end of said housing for pivotal and longitudinal movement in the housing, means for pivotally connecting the other end of said retainer to said latch bolt, a toggle pivotally mounted intermediate its ends in the housing and having one end pivotally connected to the latch bolt at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of the retainer to the latch bolt to thereby connect said latch bolt to said toggle and to said retainer for pivotal and edgewise movement in the housing with the pivot connecting the retainer to the latch bolt being movable from one to the other side of a line connecting the pivotal mounting of the retainer to the housing and the pivotal mounting of the toggle to the latch bolt, movement of said latch bolt from unlatched to latched position A .and from latched to unlatched psition being accomplished from the exterior or interior of the door and Without the .use of a movable handle on the door.

2. Latchmechanism having a latch bolt carried by the door'of .a refrigerator cabinet and movable into latching engagement with a keeper on the cabinet when the door is closed and movable out of latching engagement with the keeper by the mere opening of the door from the exterior or from the interior, said latch mechanism comprising a housing atlixed yto the door, a latch bolt pivotally and longitudinally movable in said housing, a spring-loaded retainer having one end mounted for pivotaland longitudinal movement in the housing and pivotally connected at the otherend to said latch boltt for tensionally retaining the bolt in latching engagement with the keeper when the door is closed and in unlatched, cocked position when the door is opened, and a toggle pivotally `mountedl in the housing intermediate its ends and havingV one end pivotally connected to the latch bolt at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of the retainer tothe latch bolt, whereby the latch bolt is mounti ed for pivotal and longitudinal movement in the housing and is tensionally held in latching engagement with the keeper when the pivotal connection between the retainer and the latch` bolt is disposed at one side of a line connecting the pivotal connection of the toggle to the latch bolt and the pivotal mounting of the retainer in the housing.

3f Latch mechanism yhaving a latch bolt carried by the door of a cabinet and movable into latching engagement with a keeper on the cabinet when the door is closed and capable of being unlatched by pushing open the door from the interior, said latch mechanism comprising a supporting housing affixed to the door, a latch bolt pivotally and longitudinally movable in the housing, a spring-loaded retainer having one end connected to the housingl for pivotal and longitudinal movement and pivotally connected at the other end to said latch bolt for tensionally retaining the bolt in latching engagement with thetkeeper,` whentne door is closed and in unlatched,` cocked position when the. door is opened, and a toggle pivotally mounted in the housing intermediate its f ends and having one end pivotally connected tothe latch bolt at a point spaced from the pivotal connection of the retainer to the latch bolt whereby the latch bolt is mounted for pivotal and longitudinal movement in the housing and is tensionally held in latching engagement with the keeper when the pivotal connection between the retainer and the latch bolt is disposed at one side of a line connecting the pivotal connection of the toggle to the latch bolt and the mounting of the retainer in tbe housing, and is tensionally held in unlatched, cocked position when said pivotal connection between the retainer and the latch bolt is disposed at the other side of said line.

4. Latch mechanism having a latch bolt carried by the door of a cabinet and having latching engagement with a keeper on the cabinet when the door is moved to closed position and unlatched upon a pull exerted on the door from the exterior or a push exerted against the interior of the door, said latch mechanism comprising a bracket secured to the interior of the door and housing a latch assembly including a latch bolt having a hook part and a trip part spaced from said hook'part to provide a relatively deep slot therebetween for receiving and retaining the keeper when the door is closed, a springloaded retainer pivotally connected at one end lto said latch bolt and at its other end provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a pin projecting through the slot of said retainer and anchored in said bracket whereby said retainer is capable of pivotal and longitudinal movement in said bracket, a toggle pivotally mounted intermediate its ends in said bracket and pivotally connected at one end to said latch bolt at a point spaced from, the pivotal connection of said retainer to said latch bolt whereby said latch bolt is capable of pivotal and longitudinal movement in said bracket for latching engagement with the keeper when the door is closed and unlatched when the door is opened with said retainer tensionally holding the latch bolt in either its latched or unlatched position.

5. Latch mechanism having a latch bolt carried by the door of a cabinet and having latching engagement with a keeperl on the cabinet when the door s moved to closed position and unlatched upon a pull exerted on the door from the exterior or a push exerted against the interior of the door, said latch mechanism comprising a bracket secured to the interior `olf the door and housing a latch assembly including a latch bolt having a keeper-engaging part and a trip spaced from said keeperengaging part to provide a relatively deep slot therebetween for receiving the keeper when the door is closed, a spring-loaded retainer pivotally connected at `one end to said latch bolt and at its other end provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a pin projecting through the slot of said retainer and anchored in said bracket whereby the retainer is capable of pivotal and longitudinal movement in said bracket, a toggle pivotally mounted intermediate its ends in the bracket and pivotally connected at one end to said latch bolt at a point spaced from the pivotal connection `of said retainer to said latch bolt and an abutment at its other end to limit pivotal movement of said toggle, whereby said latch bolt is capable of pivotal and longitudinal movement in said bracket for latching engagement with the keeper when the door is closed and disengaged and unlatched when the door is opened with said retainer tensionally holding said latch bolt in either its latched or unlatched position, said latch bolt being held in latching engagement with the' keeper when the pivotal connection between the retainer and the latch Ibolt is disposed at one side of a line connecting the pivotal connection of said toggle to said latch bolt and the mounting of said retainer in said bracket, and is tensionally held in unlatched, cocked position when said latch bolt is disengaged from the keeper and said pivotal connection between said retainer and said latch bolt is disposed at the other side of said line.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,744,424 Trudeau Ian. 21, 1930 

